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LOCAL NEWS
Fiordland Advocate
Page 14 | 13 December, 2012
A new takahe chick will be
released into the Te Anau
Wildlife Park at an annual event
organised by the Department of
Conservation (DOC) for the local
community and visitors tomorrow
(December 14).
As part of the celebrations, Mitre
10 Takahe Rescue has launched
a nationwide takahe chick naming
competition and will put on a
‘Chick Picnic’ at the wildlife park.
The chick will be joining its foster
sister, Tawa, and its foster parents,
Tumbles and Kawa – all three
released at the Wildlife Park last
year.
The un-named chick is one of
10 birds hatched at the Takahe
Breeding Unit this month and
raised using a takahe glove
puppet. Burwood Bush is currently
home to 12 pairs of takahe whose
offspring are used to build and
boost takahe populations at pest-
free sites around New Zealand.
By the time of its release the chick
will be one month old and grown
enough to be fostered by two adult
birds. Young takahe are placed
with foster parents to encourage
their natural parents to lay more
eggs, thus produce more chicks.
Takahe Recovery Programme
manager Phil Tisch said Tumbles
and Kawa were both infertile.
“But they’ve made great foster
parents for Tawa, teaching it all
the skills to live in the adult takahe
world,” he said.
Encouraged by this success
DOC placed two takahe eggs
in the foster parents’ nest, and
Wildlife Park staff were overjoyed
when two chicks hatched earlier
this year. Sadly, the two chicks
disappeared from the pen at the
Wildlife Park.
DOC takahe engagement ranger
Helen Dodson said they were
possibly taken by a falcon seen
around the park.
“This is why we have waited for an
older chick to be available and will
in the future look to falcon-proof
the pen if we are to give Tumbles
and Kawa eggs to hatch again.”
Dr Geoffrey Orbell re-discovered
takahe 64 years ago, after they
had been presumed extinct for
50 years. Te Anau Wildlife Park
pioneered the artificial incubation
of takahe eggs, hatching its first
chick back in 1983. In 1985 the
Takahe Breeding Unit was created
at Burwood Bush near Te Anau.
Mitre10 general manager
marketing Dave Elliott said not
many species had survived so long
on the brink of extinction.
“We reckon this is pretty
remarkable and with only 260
takahe left every chick is a great
result so we want to get everyone
to join in celebrating this amazing
survival tale and the arrival of the
new chick this season.”
Mitre10 has sponsored the Takahe
Recovery Programme for the
past six years, contributing to the
development of the breeding unit,
the health checks and transfers of
takahe around the country as well
as a number of other projects that
have supported the growth of the
national takahe population.
The winning name for the chick
will be announced at the time
the new takahe arrives at the Te
Anau Wildlife Park, between 5pm
and 7pm on Friday, December 14.
DOC is inviting everyone to join
the party to celebrate the chick’s
arrival with music, games and a
guided tour of the Wildlife Park.
Bring a picnic tea and a blanket
to sit on. Mitre10 will supply
barbecue sausages and juice.
Picnic for new chick’s arrival
Takahe chick “Tawa” pictured last year on the day it was transferred to its
new home at the Te Anau Wildlife Park. A new chick of a similar age will be
transferred there tomorrow (December 14).
PHOTO: Barry Harcourt
By Alina Suchanski
rwteanau.co.nz